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Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg, also known as Jacquetta Woodville or Countess Rivers was one of the main characters in the Cousins' War series. Jacquetta was the main protagonist and narrator of The Lady of the Rivers, and also featured prominently in The White Queen. She started off as the wife of John Lancaster, the Earl of Bedford, but later became the wife of Richard Woodville, the Baron Rivers, and bore him fourteen children, including Elizabeth Woodville, the "White Queen". Though Jacquetta was originally loyal to the House of Lancaster and was the most intimate friend of Margaret of Anjou, she switched loyalty to the House of York after her daughter married Edward IV. The Lady of the Rivers At the beginning of the novel, Jacquetta is in her early teens and lives in Burgundy, the daughter of Peter I of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol. She is close to her great-aunt, who believes Jacquetta has inherited gifts - including the gift of foresight - from the water goddess Melusina, from whom the women of Luxembourg claim descent. She teaches Jacquetta the ways of magic, though Jacquetta is uncomfortable with this at first and fears her so-called 'powers'. Jacquetta befriends Joan of Arc when she is placed under house arrest - she reluctantly tells Joan's fortune using cards and also learns the symbol for the wheel of fortune from Joan. She is present when Joan attempts either escape or suicide by jumping from a tower and tries to stop her. She is also forced to watch Joan's execution and is clearly disturbed by the young woman's death, realising for the first time what happens to women who try to claim power for themselves a male-dominated world. A few years later, Jacquetta is betrothed to the much older John, Duke of Bedford. She isn't exactly happy about the marriage, but feels she has no choice and does her duty to her family. Jacquetta is surprised when, on their wedding night, her new husband informs her won't take her virginity, as she is more use to him 'pure'. The Duke explains that he actually married Jacquetta to use her gift of Sight to help predict England's future and create the philosopher's stone, in order to help his country to prosper. Jacquetta isn't sure if she will truly be of any help, but does as her husband bids. She has a few visions which do indeed appear to predict the future (though only the reader will be aware of it, as some of the visions allude to events occurring in other novels). Jacquetta also grows very close to the Duke's squire, Richard Woodville, who is her only friend in England. After the Duke dies, Jacquetta is left feeling lost and alone, even though she knows the Duke only ever loved her as an object, not a person. She is wealthy, but knows that when her year's mourning has passed, the royal family will force her to marry again and that her new husband would probably not be so kind. Jacquetta despairs over her inability to choose her own destiny and her growing love for Richard. They eventually begin a passionate affair and Jacquetta decides to take her destiny into her own hands, using a herbal potion to increase fertility and conceiving a child with Richard. They marry; although Jacquetta is disgraced for marrying someone so beneath her, is stripped of her pension and forced to pay a hefty fine, she is happy with her decision. She gives birth to a daughter named Elizabeth; over the years, she gives Richard thirteen more children (though to her grief, her eldest son Louis dies of illness when he is twelve). When Henry VI marries, Jacquetta is called back to court to the new queen, Margaret of Anjou's lady-in-waiting. The pair become good friends; Richard also rises high in the king's favour and is given the title of Baron Rivers - he chooses the name Rivers in honour of his wife and her water goddess ancestor. Jacquetta begins schooling Elizabeth in the ways of magic, believing that she too has the Sight, though they must be discreet due to England's persecution of witchcraft. The White Queen Jacquetta supports Elizabeth's marriage to Edward and is one the witnesses at their wedding. She stands up to Duchess Cecily, verbally sparring with her and schemes to marry her children and relatives to as many noble families as possible to ensure Elizabeth's safety. She goes into sanctuary with her daughter. Jacquetta is devastated by her husband and son John are executed without trial by the Earl of Warwick, though she decides against getting revenge and tries to warn Elizabeth of the unforeseen consequences of cursing those responsible. When Warwick temporarily succeeds in reclaiming the throne for Lancaster, Jacquetta is arrested for witchcraft. However, her old friend Margaret vouches for her and she is ultimately exonerated. Jacquetta dies part way through the novel, passing away peacefully in her sleep. Other Appearances in the Cousins War Series The Kingmaker's Daughter: Jacquetta is first introduced at the feast the day before her daughter's coranation where she is seated in a place of honour and is surrounded by her family much to the displeasure of the Nevilles. Her appearances throughout the book are fleeting and are mostly in passing mention. However after Warwick releases Edward and restores him to his throne , Anne de Beachamp and her daughters Isabel and Anne are brought before Queen Elizabeth and Jacquetta. The girls are shocked to see how aparent Jacquetta's grief for her husband is and how openly she hates the Nevilles for his murder. They also believe that Jacquetta bewitches them when she blows a whistle which snuffs out a candle. Appearance In her youth, Jacquetta was the most exquisitely beautiful woman in France, and only her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, could match her looks: tall and statuesque, long silver-blonde hair, wide deep grey eyes, and clear pearlescent skin. Powers and Abilities As a descendant of the Water Goddess Melusina, Jacquetta possessed supernatural powers and arcane knowledge that had been horned by her grand-aunt's training, her first husband's arrangements, and her own practice. Examples of powers Jacquetta possessed were: * Magic: As shown in ''The Lady of the Rivers'', when she was only fourteen-years-old, Jacquetta was secretly trained by her grand-aunt in the art of manipulating supernatural or mystical energy to alter the fabric of reality and defy the laws of nature. Though Jacquetta was initially afraid of her own abilities, and was often forced to be discreet with her practice due to persecutions on witchcraft, she still emerged as an accomplished practitioner of the mystic arts in time, and later even passed down her knowledge and skills to her oldest daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. Examples of abilities she derived from her magic are: ** Divination: 'Jacquetta was skilled in the practice of predicting the future, having been trained by her grand-aunt in the art of reading tarot-cards. Later on, through her first husband's arrangements, she acquired the art of mirror-gazing, which enabled her to see past, present, and future events through looking into a mirror. Another ability she derived from this province is: *** '''Divine Communication: '''Jacquetta had the ability to communicate with her ancestress, the Goddess Melusina, through rivers to either find answers to her questions, or to appeal for supernatural help in pressing matters. There were two methods through which she could utilise this ability - her grand-aunt's charm bracelet, or writing a ''"petition" on a piece of paper, fold it into a little boat, and set it flowing on any river that was nearby, which would lead it directly into Melusina's supernatural kingdom to be read and granted accordingly. ** '''Premonition: Jacquetta had the ability to see and experience events from the past, present, and future, which manifested itself in the form of dreams, or visions, or omens, or even a sensation of foreboding. She termed these supernatural glimpses as "Seeings". ** Knowledge of Plants and the Otherworld: Jacquetta had an extensive knowledge of the properties of plants and herbs, which she learned from Margery Jourdemayne. Her knowledge ranged from herbs that any good cook would know to those that would not be found in a noblewoman's still room. She also knew how to utilise the forces of nature to find specific answers to certain questions, such as using a peeled wand to find water in underground springs, and her own wedding ring to determine the sex of her unborn child by watching the direction of its swing. ** Hypnosis/Persuasion: Jacquetta had the ability to affect or directly influence other people's minds to her commands. ** Atmokinesis: Jacquetta had the ability to control and manipulate the weather to various effects, which was arguably the strongest offensive magical ability she possessed. She was shown to have used it to whistle up winds, breathe out heavy mists, and even conjure up terrible storms. Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Wars of the Roses Characters Category:Historical figures